3 dead in double school bus crash in Tennessee

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Police said two children and one adult were killed and more than 20 other people injured in a crash involving two school buses Tuesday in Knoxville, Tennessee.

There was no immediate word on what caused the crash. One of the buses flipped onto its side; the other suffered front-end damage, CBS affiliate WVLT reported.

The two children who died were third graders or younger, Knoxville Police Chief David Rausch said. The adult who died was an aide.

Three seriously injured people were taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center and were in stable condition, Rausch said.

East Tennessee Children's Hospital spokeswoman Erica Estep said another 20 children were being treated there for injuries that were not life-threatening.

Rausch said 18 of the 20 had been on a bus going home from Sunnyview Primary School, which serves kindergarten through second grade. He described their injuries as "bumps and scrapes." They were taken to the hospital on a city bus "to be checked out," he said.

The other bus involved in the crash was from Chilhowee Intermediate School, which serves third through fifth grade. Rausch said some children from that bus were taken by their families to the children's hospital.

Knox County Schools Superintendent Dr. Jim McIntyre fought back tears at a news conference, saying, "This is an unspeakable tragedy. This is what we work every day to try to prevent."

The school district has canceled classes at the two schools for Wednesday.